Keg-rinsing machine.



G. D. PRENTIUE.

KEG BINSING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1910.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

1 w Iv m w H 13 h T 1 N an 3 \N A a x mu 1 INVEIVTUR 62-01%:- fl. Ba/W705,

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

G. D. PRENTICE.

KEG RINSING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 13, 1910.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lll E a hhrroR/vsys WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 00., WASHINGTON, D. c.

GEORGE DENISON PRENTIC'E, OF GREAT FALLS, MONTANA.

KEG-RINSING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

Application filed May 13, 1910. Serial No. 561,262.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE DENIsoN PRENTICE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Great Falls, in the county of Cascade andState of Montana, have invented certain Improvements in Keg-RinsingMachines, of which the following is a specification. v

My invention is a machine for rinsing or washing out casks, kegs, orother receptacles, the same being caused to operate automatically by theweight of a cask or keg placed in due position on the ,machine, andrequiring no attention or manipulation. Water is discharged into a caskor keg when placed on a depressible support and over a perforatednozzle. When the keg-support is depressed it opens a water-dischargevalve and raises a weighted piston in a cylinder or dash-pot, and thetime required for descent .of the piston to its original positiondetermines the time of discharge of water into the keg. I thus providefor automatic discharge of water into a keg for rinsing the same and forautomatic regulation of the time during which said discharge shallcontinue.

The details of construction, combination, and operation of parts are ashereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a centralvertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 arediagrammatic side views illustrating the operation of the machine. Fig.5 is a perspective view of the water discharge valve and parts directlyconnected thereon. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan illustrating in part themechanism by which the time of discharge of water is regulated. Fig. 7is a plan view of the lever or support for a cask or keg while beingrinsed. Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section of the dash-pot orliquidcontaining cylinder employed for regulating the time of dischargeof water into a keg. Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view illustratingthe water-discharge valve and certain parts connected therewith.

As will be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the body 1 of the machineis a hollow casting having a thick horizontal top portion 2 which isextended laterally and constitutes practically a platform to which aperforated nozzle 3 is attached, centrally, and posts 4 at the edges, toaid in holding Fig. 2, the chamber of the body 1 communicates by apassage 1*, that extends up through the platform 2, with the corresponding passage 3 -in the nozzle 3.

The machine is supported upon brackets 5 having each two feet, and aninverted V-shaped brace 6 is riveted to said brackets and secured to oneedge of the platform for further increasing the rigidity of the machine.

. Water is admitted to the chamber of the body l by means of a longnozzle 7-see Fig. 2. The water chamber is divided horizontally by apartition 8 having a central opening in which is arranged a cylindricalbushing 9 having its lower end constructed as a valve-seat 10 upon whichthe valve 11 is adapted to seat. It is apparent from Fig. 2 that whenthe valve is lowered as there shown, water may have free passage fromthe inlet 7, through the bushing 9 and passage 1*", to and through thenozzle 3 and thus into the keg placed on the machine. On the other hand,when the valve 11 is raised and seated, it is obvious the supply will becut off. The means for adjusting the valve in either of these two.positions will be presently described.

A cask or keg is placed on the machine in such manner that the nozzle 3projects through its bung-hole and thus into the body of the keg so asto discharge water freely thereinto. The keg-support is a lever 12 whosebody or main portion is circular, as shown in Fig. 7, and which ispivoted to a post 13 on the platform 2 and whose free end rests upon aspiral spring 15 that encircles one of the vertical posts 4. The normalposition of this lever is inclined upward, as illustrated in Fig. 4, andthe position it assumes when a keg is placed thereon is shown in Figs.1, 2, and 3. A triprod 16 is pivoted to the free end of the lever 12 anddepends therefrom through an opening'in the platform 2, its lowerportion being adapted to engage a long weighted lever 17 that is mountedrotatably on a hollow stub shaft 18 which is screwed into the side ofthe hollow body 1see Fig. 2. The rod 16 is adapted to engage the reducedend of the weighted lever 17, the two parts being provided with steel orother hardened wearplates 19. The lower end of the rod 16 is beveled,and when the keg lever 12 is depressed,such end strikes upon a circulartrip 20, that is secured to the body 1 of the machine by means of a boltor screw passing through a slot 21, by which means the trip 20 may beadjusted laterally, that is to say, to the right or left, as required tovary the time when the rod 16 will be disengaged from the lever 17. Thelever 17 is connected with the stem or rod 22 of a piston 23,which, asshown in Fig. 8, is arranged in a double cylinder or dash-pot 24. l/Vhena keg is placed on the lever 12 and depresses the same to the horizontalposition shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the lever 17 is shifted from theposition shown in Figs. 3 and 4 to that shown in Fig. 1, or, in otherwords, its weighted end is raised and thereby the piston 23 of thedash-pot is raised also. At the upward limit of the throw of the lever17, the beveled end of the pendent rod 16 strikes the abutment 20 andthe rod is thereby disengaged from the lever whose weighted end thenforces the piston down to its original position. Both in its upward anddownward movement, the piston serves to force water or other liquid inopposite directions and the time of its descent determines the timeduring which water may be discharged through the passages 7, 9, 1 and 3,as before described. The described movement of the weighted lever 17also serves to operate another smaller, butweighted, lever 25, which iskeyed on the rock-shaft 18 that passes through the hollow shaft 18, asshown in Figs. 2 and 6, and is provided with a crank to which the wingedstem 26 of the water-discharge valve 11 is pivoted. The rock-shaft 18 isprovided with a-collar 18 which abuts the inner end of the hollow shaft18*. A four armed plate spring 18 is interposed between the two levers17 and 25, and the lever 25 being fixed on the shaft 18, the springserves to draw the collar 18 tightly against the inner end of the hollowshaft so as to prevent the escape of water therethrough. The lateralwings 26 of the valve stem serve as guides in the cylindrical bushing 9.The smaller weighted lever 25 is shifted simultaneously wit-h the mainweighted lever 17 by the engagement with the latter effected by alateral lug 27 which projects over the smaller end of the lever 25, asshown in Fig. 6. Thus, simultaneously with the raising of the weightedend of lever 17 the smaller lever is moved to a corre sponding positionas in Fig. 1, and at that instant it engages a pivoted stop or catch 28which is of right-angular or elbow form and pivoted upon a stub-shaft 29projecting from the hollow body l'of the machine.

The upper or horizontal arm of the stop 28 is provided with anadjustable screw 30, which, when the lever 17, together with the pistonof the dash-pot moves down to its normal position, shown in Figs. 3 and4, strikes upon the lever 17 so that the stop 28 is tripped or moved tothe position indicated in Fig. 4, which releases the smaller weightedlever 25, whereby the valve 11, which was opened in the previousmovement of the lever illustrated in Fig. 1, is again closed. In Figs. 1and 2, the smaller weighted lever 25 is shown in a position which causesrotation of the shaft 18 and thereby the opening of the valve. The samething appears in the diagrammatic view 3, but the screw 30 has just comein contact with the lever 17 and, when the latter completes its downwardmovement, illustrated by the arrow, the stop 28 will be tripped orentirely freed from the lever 25 so that its weight will rotate theshaft 18 back. to the position illustrated in Diagram 4, and thus closethe valve 11 as there also indicated. A stop or rest 31- see Figs. 1, 3,and 4-is provided for the weighted end of the lever 17.

The dash-pot shown in Fig. 8 and which serves as a timing apparatus orgovernor for the discharge of water into the keg is constructed asfollows. The body of the same is composed of two concentric cylinders 24and 24 separated by an annular space to which oil or other liquid usedin the apparatus is admitted. These cylinders are suitably connectedwith caps 32 and 32 and the piston 23 is adapted to slide in one ofthem. The upper cylinder head 32 is provided with an air passage 33. Theinner cylinder 24 has openings 34 at top and bottom which communicatewith the interior of spaces above and below the piston. A valve 35 isarranged in the lower portion of the inner cylinder 24 and provided witha spring for aiding gravity in holding it normally seated. Adjacent tothe valve, but just above it, is an opening 36 in which a needle valve37 seats, the same being provided exteriorly with a handle for rotatingit. By adjustment of this threaded needle, it is obvious that theopening 36 maybe enlarged or diminished at will and thus the passage ofliquid through it may be regulated. The water or other liquid used isadmitted through a passage 38 provided with a screw-plug 39. lVhen thepiston is raised, as indicated by arrow, the liquid which fills thespace above it is forced out through the upper openings 34 into theannular passage between the two cylinders and enters the space below thevalve, through the lower openings 34, and raising the valve 35, passesrubber part 11 matically, must find its way out through the opening 36as fast as permitted by the adjustment of the needle valve 37. The descent of the piston 23 determines the time when the water-dischargevalve 11 will be seated, and consequently the time of discharge of waterinto the keg. By adjustment of the needle valve, therefore, such timemay be regulated at will. The body 11 of the water-discharge valve iscomposed of some soft suitable material, say rubber or water-proofedleather, and the same is provided with a beveled edge and inserted in aholder whose edge is correspondingly beveled, as shown in Fig. 9. Theholder of the valve proper is adjustable on the threaded stem 26, and anut 40 is applied on the upper side and presses upon the leather or Bythis means, and by reason of the beveled form of the holder and thevalve proper, the latter is held firmly in place so that it isnot liableto become loose and cannot be mashed or crushed out of its proper form.By adjustment of the nut 40, the part l1" may be compressed more orless, as required to form a close joint at the seat.

In order to provide for convenient access to the water-box or valvechamber in the body 1 of the apparatus, the plate composing the outerside of said chamber is made detachable, it being secured by fourscrews, as will be understood from the dotted lines shown in Figs. 1, 3,and 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the removable plate or side of the water-boxbears centrally against packing applied to the horizontal partition inwhich the bushing or guide 9 is arranged.

WVhat I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, a waterconduit, a valve controlling the passage of water therethrough, a rockshaft connected thereto, a weighted valve-operating lever rigidlyconnected to the rock shaft and adapted to normally hold the valveclosed, means to rock said lever to open said valve, said meanscomprising a movable keg support, a second Weighted lever and a rodconnected to the keg support and normally in engagement with said secondnamed lever, means to cause both levers to move together when the secondnamed lever is moved in one direction whereby the valve is opened, a.catch adapted to engage the valve-operating lever during this movementand hold the valve open, a trip adapted to disengage the rod from thesecond named lever during this movement, the second named lever beingadapted thereupon to move in the opposite direction and disengage saidcatch from said valve-operating lever.

2. The combination with the frame or body of the apparatus, of anormally closed valve, means movable in one direction to open saidvalve, a keg support adapted to be moved by the weight of a barrel,means connecting said keg support with said valve opening means whilethe latter moves in the direction aforesaid, means operative during thesaid movement of the valve opening means to lock said valve in openposition and means operative after the lastnamed means to disengage saidconnecting means from the valve opening means, said last-named meansbeing thereupon adapted to move in another direction, and operativeduring said last-named movement to release the valve from the means tolock it in open position, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the frame or body of the apparatus, of anormally closed valve, means movable in one direction to open saidvalve, a keg support adapted to be moved by the weight of a barrel, arod connecting said keg support with said valve opening means while thelatter moves in the direct-ion aforesaid, means operative during thesaid movement of the valve opening means to lock said valve in openposition and means operative after the lastnamed means to disengage saidrod from the valve opening means, said last-named means being thereuponadapted to move in another direction, and operative during saidlastnamed movement to release the valve from the means to lock it inopen position, and means for returning the keg-support to its originalposition, whereby the trip rod is reset for engagement with thevalve-opening means, substantially as described.

Witness my hand this the 17th day of March, A. D. 1910.

GEORGE DENISON PRENTICE.

WVitnesses:

d/VM. Gr. DoWNING,

S. R. JENSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

